[superduckie5000]

More Volume "Help" is on the Way.

From the Detroit Free:
http://www.freep.com/article/20130813/BUSINESS0103/308130124/Chrysler-Jeep-auto-Grand-Cherokee-Wrangler

"On the powertrain front, Chrysler will soon add V6 engine production at the Mack Avenue plant."

I Know It's "Old" News About Mack But Please Stay Tuned.

TMD

 

[guyverfanboy]

Sounds good! I assume this means expanding production for the 3.6 and 3.2 V6.

 

[UN4GTBL]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Dave Z]

Given the need for 250,000 Cherokees per year across the world, ... and increasing Ram V6 sales...

 

[plymouth1]

Being in Wisconsin I wish they would have just kept Kenosha going in the first place! Wishful thinking I know. Being a CNC Machinist I wish they had plants here again so I wouldn't have to move far if I could get hired!!

 

[66coronet]

Given the need for 250,000 Cherokees per year across the world, ... and increasing Ram V6 sales...

May the Ram 1500 crd curve the need for the 3.6L.
250,000 Cherokee's, only time will tell. What if they can only sell similar to the compass?

 

[freshforged]

May the Ram 1500 crd curve the need for the 3.6L.
250,000 Cherokee's, only time will tell. What if they can only sell similar to the compass?

The key word from the original quote was "worldwide". AFAIK, Chrysler never really tried to market the compass outside of North America.

 

[MoparNorm]

The key word from the original quote was "worldwide". AFAIK, Chrysler never really tried to market the compass outside of North America.

I don't understand all this touting (by Chrysler) of "worldwide" sales. Taking NAFTA out of the picture, "worldwide Jeep sales are about 24,000, so unless they really step up their game, those worldwide sales are way into the future.
To date Europe hasn't shown much interest in US cars, (and they are still mired in recession) and Asia taxes the heck out of our exports. The rest of the world can't yet afford them.
So Im not banking on any supposed "worldwide" sales, not just yet anyway. It's an admirable goal, but right now, that's all it is, a goal, not reality.

 

[TWX]

I don't understand all this touting (by Chrysler) of "worldwide" sales. Taking NAFTA out of the picture, "worldwide Jeep sales are about 24,000, so unless they really step up their game, those worldwide sales are way into the future.
To date Europe hasn't shown much interest in US cars, (and they are still mired in recession) and Asia taxes the heck out of our exports. The rest of the world can't yet afford them.
So Im not banking on any supposed "worldwide" sales, not just yet anyway. It's an admirable goal, but right now, that's all it is, a goal, not reality.

I've been overseas twice, and there were more Mopars than I expected running around on the streets of London and Paris. London had a lot of right-hand-drive Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, and a few of what we sold as Liberties, and Paris had some left-hand-drive Grand Cherokees and a bunch of PT Cruisers. Both also had enough minivans that they stood out to me, though admittedly I was looking for them. I assume many of these were actually built by Magna, though given the right-hand-drive Cherokees that were sold for postal use I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of those came from domestic production and were exported.

 

[MoparNorm]

Yes they are there, but the sales numbers tell the tale. The numbers are small, growing but small.
The current economic conditions don't point to a sudden increase any time soon.

 

[TWX]

I just had a thought... Perhaps the Jeep brand still has a soft spot for Western Europe, dating all of the way back to the 1940s, basically much like how we have a soft spot for it...

 

[68RT]

I just had a thought... Perhaps the Jeep brand still has a soft spot for Western Europe, dating all of the way back to the 1940s, basically much like how we have a soft spot for it...

The problem is: It is a very soft spot and sales are not going to go through the roof very soon.

 

[MoparNorm]

It's hard to break out sales numbers because Chrysler uses percentages, overseas, touting. 97% sales increase in 2012.
As near as I can tell, that is approx. 67,000 units in Europe, lead by Wrangler, then Grand Cherokee and Compass.
If KL sales 250,000 worldwide, that would mean it outsells both Grand Cherokee and Wrangler and accounts for 1 in 3 jeeps sold.
That's not likely to happen.

 

[Erik Latranyi]

It's hard to break out sales numbers because Chrysler uses percentages, overseas, touting. 97% sales increase in 2012.
As near as I can tell, that is approx. 67,000 units in Europe, lead by Wrangler, then Grand Cherokee and Compass.
If KL sales 250,000 worldwide, that would mean it outsells both Grand Cherokee and Wrangler and accounts for 1 in 3 jeeps sold.
That's not likely to happen.

Europe loves Jeeps. I just returned from two weeks in Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, and Austria. Used Jeeps command a premium. New Jeeps are rare as fuel economy holds them back, given the price of gas is well over $6 per gallon.

So, the demand is in place. The Cherokee delivers on good fuel economy. But, will the Jeep desire transfer over to the Cherokee?

Only time will tell.

 

[RVC]

Taking Russia, India, Brazil, Argentina, Australia+SAfrica+NZ, Mexico, out of the equation, and looking merely on Europe, we could make two considerations: 1) compact SUVs are one of the main luxury segments (globally, BMW sells more X1 and X3 than any other car barred the 3 series and to a lesser extent the 5 series), so the market is definitely there as long as you have a competitive product, and 2) Jeep has never had a competitive product for Europe. The new GC is ok, but Jeep needed first to prove that they are a reliable and serious brand that's there to stay, and the segment is far from popular, but the Cherokee is a second product from a Jeep brand that is beginning to give an idea that this time they are serious, and as a product should be dead on for its segment (except for the looks, but who knows what people might think when they see it in person; there's whackier stuff than that in Europe).

I've left china out because according to reports the Cherokee will be built there for that market in order to eliminate their import taxes.